Posts Tagged ‘Pop! Goes the Icon’

I know I promised a while back that I was going to try to post something every day here, or at least as often as possible. Sadly, in the hectic (but happy!) life of Pj, “as often as possible” is often not often at all. Sorry about that. But I’ve been extremely productive, not only getting caught up on producing the semi-weekly webcomic The Utopian, slinging journalistic assignments and overseeing the launch of a whole friggin’ comic book company, but also planning out your weekends for you.

Yes, I’m throwing a party for you kids. OK, fine: It’s a party for me. More specifically (as the title of this post may have led you to believe), it’s a release party for the launch of The Utopian print comic. And it not coincidentally is the same weekend as the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival (to which I know you’re all coming, right?). Here’s the flier:

No cover! $5 Corona buckets! Door prizes! Doesn’t it sound great already? No. Oh … well, I’ll be there. And Yayo Taco (4632 S. Maryland Parkway) has like the most awesome tacos ever. And we’ll just be hanging out, drinking and eating all in mutual love of comics. How much better does it get? It doesn’t. So be at Yayo on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Early enough for you to get in bed for work on Monday but late enough for you to go to church or nap or whatever. And if you are on Facebook and are planning on coming, please RSVP and let me know. It helps to have an idea of how many peeps are coming, you know?

In the meantime, I’ll be doing stuff. That’s all you really need to know.

I know I promised a while back that I was going to try to post something every day here, or at least as often as possible. Sadly, in the hectic (but happy!) life of Pj, “as often as possible” is often not often at all. Sorry about that. But I’ve been extremely productive, not only getting caught up on producing the semi-weekly webcomic The Utopian, slinging journalistic assignments and overseeing the launch of a whole friggin’ comic book company, but also planning out your weekends for you.

Yes, I’m throwing a party for you kids. OK, fine: It’s a party for me. More specifically (as the title of this post may have led you to believe), it’s a release party for the launch of The Utopian print comic. And it not coincidentally is the same weekend as the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival (to which I know you’re all coming, right?). Here’s the flier:

No cover! $5 Corona buckets! Door prizes! Doesn’t it sound great already? No. Oh … well, I’ll be there. And Yayo Taco (4632 S. Maryland Parkway) has like the most awesome tacos ever. And we’ll just be hanging out, drinking and eating all in mutual love of comics. How much better does it get? It doesn’t. So be at Yayo on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Early enough for you to get in bed for work on Monday but late enough for you to go to church or nap or whatever. And if you are on Facebook and are planning on coming, please RSVP and let me know. It helps to have an idea of how many peeps are coming, you know?

In the meantime, I’ll be doing stuff. That’s all you really need to know.

Comic book guys are sexy.

In case you hadn’t noticed by my multiple Twitter and Facebook posts, The Utopian #1 shipped this week. Response has been fairly positive. Not only did I get a healthy amount of pre-orders for the comic (all of which I signed and shipped in one day), but I — surprisingly — received orders through Haven Distributors, which means at least one comic shop wanted to carry The Utopian. Pretty cool. I’ve received more requests than expected, so I actually re-ordered more books from the printer just so I have enough to go around at the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival on Nov. 7. All of which is pretty cool. Unless everyone is blowing smoke up my rear, it means at least a few people actually like what I’ve been doing with The Utopian. I’ve started working on the next chapter, and I’m enjoying the heck out of writing and drawing the new stuff, which hopefully means you kids will enjoy reading it. Oh, and if you’re in Vegas and want to pick up a copy (and avoid the online ordering hassle/shipping fee), it’s being carried locally at Alternate Reality Comics on Maryland Parkway. Go there, it’s a rad shop and owner Ralph is the man.

The Rebel Yell, UNLV’s twice-weekly student-run newspaper (for which I was editor-in-chief briefly during college), ran an awesome story about my comic book activities in its Oct. 15 issue. Written by current EIC Jorge Labrador, it covers a lot of ground, including revealing plans for things I haven’t made public elsewhere (and also has awesome quotes from my pal Aaron Thompson, all the way from South Korea!). However, one thing that got left out from my interview was exclusive news about the lineup for the first issue of Omega Comics Presents, the new anthology series Pop! Goes the Icon will be publishing starting next year. I now have contracts signed for all the creators involved in the premier issue, though I won’t be making the official announcement until after the Comic Fest. But I will leak a bit of news related to that here: The lead feature for the series will be an ongoing serial called “Omega” (now it all fits, right?) written and drawn by yours truly. It’s an action-suspense drama, completely unlike The Utopian, and hopefully will be awesome. More on that coming soon.

Aside from occasional CD reviews and mini news bits, things might be quiet around the journalism area of Awesome City as my attention turns toward publisher duties with PGTI and band stuff, as I’ll be aggressively preparing my home studio for recording even as we’re shopping for a new guitar player. Stay tuned.

… and thanks to a little cold I picked up and some car drama, I’m more behind than expected. So a quick update, bullet-point style:

• I had a few CD reviews run in last week’s Las Vegas Weekly, of new discs by local bands Theory of Flight and Onara. Two very different approaches. Check ‘em out.
• I’m meeting a photographer tonight from The Rebel Yell, my alma mater’s newspaper (which I edited for a short time during my undergrad), for an article about my comic book creations that I think is running in tomorrow’s issue. Of course I’ll keep you posted.
• I’m pretty sure I’ve rounded out the line-up for the first issue of Omega Comics Presents, the new comic anthology series I’m starting next year. Should be good. More soon.
• Outside of sitting on the couch watching Smallville (and I have to say, Season 8 is making up for the last few seasons) yesterday, I did manage to sign, pack and mail all the pre-ordered copies of The Utopian #1. This is what the home office looked like last night:

• If you DIDN’T pre-order the first issue, no worries: You can now order both the standard and deluxe editions directly from IndyPlanet — and even get a preview of the new splash page artwork. You just won’t get signed copies or discounts on shipping. Sorry. But if you want ‘em signed, come see me on Nov. 7!
• Some changes are coming for As Yet Unbroken. Don’t want to talk about it too much right now as we have a meeting about it this weekend, but suffice it to say, things are happening.

That’s it. I’ll have a wrap-up on the Florida trip and other goodies soon. Just wanted to check it. Booyah!

F. Andrew Taylor moderates a discussion on breaking into comics with writers Dwayne McDuffie and Steven Grant at the 2008 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this a few times somewhere, and it’s a bit early, but as there are limited details surrounding this event on the internet right now (and I know some of you have been looking), I figured I’d get this post published sooner than later and just bug the hell out of you people on Facebook and Twitter later on.

The second annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road). Though it’s put on in tandem with the larger Vegas Valley Book Festival, the Comic Fest (as I shall refer to it hereafter) is growing into its own entity. Last year saw 900 people in only four hours time, and this year we expect more than 1000 in the five hours of the Fest.

The guest line-up is looking pretty good: Cecil Castellucci, Kim Deitch, Evan Dent, Steve Englehart, Mark Evanier, Noelle Garcia, Gary Groth, Laurenn McCubbin, Michael Ogilvie, Sean Russell, Deryl Skelton, Chris Staros, Dan Vado, Matt Wagner and Michael Uslan — a selection that runs the gamut from mainstream legends and indie publishers to Hollywood producers and local-based talent. Not too shabby.

Most importantly, though, for readers of this blog, at least, Pop! Goes the Icon will be making its first official comic convention debut. I’ll have a six-foot table full of goodies, including both the standard and deluxe versions of The Utopian #1, limited-edition posters, free stuff like buttons and postcards and maybe even Mark T. Zeilman and Hernan Valencia, who provided the cover artwork for the first issue of The Utopian. We’ll sign stuff, maybe sketch stuff, shoot the shizzle, whatever. Bring some cash and support my terrible comic strip, or just throw bananas at me. Cupcakes are accepted as well.

There will also be some awesome panels featuring the aforementioned guests, along with portfolio reviews, signings, a merchandise marketplace and some geek-tastic feature films including locally produced wunderkind Thor at the Bus Stop. It’ll be good times. Become a member of the Comic Fest Facebook group for all the latest updates, and in the meantime, peruse the panel line-up below. Hope to see you there!

Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival Panels

The Goshdarn Batman Panel – Mark Evanier moderates as Matt Wagner, Steve Englehart, and Michael Uslan discuss the evolution of Batman over the decades, their insights in to what makes the character so unique and their approaches to him, and the good and bad of what it means to work on such an iconic character. 11 a.m. – noon, Large Conference Room

Last Indy Standing — Laurenn McCubbin moderates (and gets in a few good shots of her own) as publishers Chris Staros, Gary Groth and Dan Vado duke it out.  Points of contention include:  I love creator’s rights more than you; Distributors,  shoot on sight or burn at the stake?  and My scratchy zombies can whup your pseudo-manga emo goth boys. 11 a.m. – noon, Jewel Box Theater

We Know Where The Bodies are Buried –  John L. Smith may know where the bodies are buried in Vegas, but writer/historian Mark Evanier, writer/artist Steve Englehart, artist Deryl Skelton and writer/producer Michael Uslan know the stories behind the stories at all the major publishers.  Join them as they share tales of famous creators, infamous characters, and even the occasional hush-hush, strictly on the QT cover up. 12:15 – 1:30 p.m., Large Conference Room

Selections from Adventures in Voice Acting: The Bang Zoom! Guide to Voice Acting (2008; rated NR; 108 min)
If you’ve considered what it would be like to have a career in voice acting, or want to know what it takes to break in, then you need to watch Adventures in Voice Acting. It includes all the essentials you will need to get started. Nearly 100 voice actors, casting directors and producers were interviewed for this project. Watch and listen as they share with you their personal pitfalls and triumphs. 12:15  – 1:30 p.m. Jewel Box Theater

Spotlight on Matt Wagner — From Green Arrow to Grendel, from Mage to Madame Xanadu, from Batman to Sandman Mystery Theatre, as a creator, Matt Wagner’s a chameleon.  He writes across a dizzying array of genres; cover gigs have not caused him to put down the pencil; he does both creator owned and work for hire projects.  Just when you think you know him, you discover you don’t.   Join us for a Q&A with a living legend whose distinctive stories and art have left an indelible mark on comics. 2 – 3 p.m., Large Conference Room

Hail to the King! — In this tell-all talk, his former squire (and noted Comics Historian) Mark Evanier shares his unique insights about industry titan, Jack “King” Kirby. Not only did Jack Kirby create several of comics’ most iconic characters and teams, but his artistic innovations (including “Kirby dots”) still shape the way we tell stories today. 2 – 3 p.m., Jewel Box Theater

The Drunk Panel — Inspired by underground comix such as Zap, Real Pulp, “Tijuana Bibles” and Raw, Drunk takes the torch and continues the craft of comic storytelling initiated by these forebears. You don’t have to be 21 to attend as writers and artists Kim Deitch, Noelle Garcia, Jarret Keene, Sean Russell and Michael Ogilvie tell bizarre, funny, violent, loving, and sincere tales about the quintessential human achievement of being drunk.  (And also about the process of producing, publishing, and promoting a non-mainstream work of art.) 3:15  – 4:15 p.m., Large Conference Room

Comics and Books and Movies, Oh My! — Just what does it take to turn a book into a comic, or a comic into a movie? Join Michael Uslan, Cecil Castellucci, Steve Englehart and Chris Staros for an animated (or written, or drawn) conversation about the challenges and opportunities of working across different media. 3:15 – 4:15 p.m., Jewel Box Theater

F. Andrew Taylor moderates a discussion on breaking into comics with writers Dwayne McDuffie and Steven Grant at the 2008 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this a few times somewhere, and it’s a bit early, but as there are limited details surrounding this event on the internet right now (and I know some of you have been looking), I figured I’d get this post published sooner than later and just bug the hell out of you people on Facebook and Twitter later on.

The second annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road). Though it’s put on in tandem with the larger Vegas Valley Book Festival, the Comic Fest (as I shall refer to it hereafter) is growing into its own entity. Last year saw 900 people in only four hours time, and this year we expect more than 1000 in the five hours of the Fest.

The guest line-up is looking pretty good: Cecil Castellucci, Kim Deitch, Evan Dent, Steve Englehart, Mark Evanier, Noelle Garcia, Gary Groth, Laurenn McCubbin, Michael Ogilvie, Sean Russell, Deryl Skelton, Chris Staros, Dan Vado, Matt Wagner and Michael Uslan — a selection that runs the gamut from mainstream legends and indie publishers to Hollywood producers and local-based talent. Not too shabby.

Most importantly, though, for readers of this blog, at least, Pop! Goes the Icon will be making its first official comic convention debut. I’ll have a six-foot table full of goodies, including both the standard and deluxe versions of The Utopian #1, limited-edition posters, free stuff like buttons and postcards and maybe even Mark T. Zeilman and Hernan Valencia, who provided the cover artwork for the first issue of The Utopian. We’ll sign stuff, maybe sketch stuff, shoot the shizzle, whatever. Bring some cash and support my terrible comic strip, or just throw bananas at me. Cupcakes are accepted as well.

There will also be some awesome panels featuring the aforementioned guests, along with portfolio reviews, signings, a merchandise marketplace and some geek-tastic feature films including locally produced wunderkind Thor at the Bus Stop. It’ll be good times. Become a member of the Comic Fest Facebook group for all the latest updates, and in the meantime, peruse the panel line-up below. Hope to see you there!

Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival Panels

The Goshdarn Batman Panel – Mark Evanier moderates as Matt Wagner, Steve Englehart, and Michael Uslan discuss the evolution of Batman over the decades, their insights in to what makes the character so unique and their approaches to him, and the good and bad of what it means to work on such an iconic character. 11 a.m. – noon, Large Conference Room

Last Indy Standing — Laurenn McCubbin moderates (and gets in a few good shots of her own) as publishers Chris Staros, Gary Groth and Dan Vado duke it out.  Points of contention include:  I love creator’s rights more than you; Distributors,  shoot on sight or burn at the stake?  and My scratchy zombies can whup your pseudo-manga emo goth boys. 11 a.m. – noon, Jewel Box Theater

We Know Where The Bodies are Buried –  John L. Smith may know where the bodies are buried in Vegas, but writer/historian Mark Evanier, writer/artist Steve Englehart, artist Deryl Skelton and writer/producer Michael Uslan know the stories behind the stories at all the major publishers.  Join them as they share tales of famous creators, infamous characters, and even the occasional hush-hush, strictly on the QT cover up. 12:15 – 1:30 p.m., Large Conference Room

Selections from Adventures in Voice Acting: The Bang Zoom! Guide to Voice Acting (2008; rated NR; 108 min)
If you’ve considered what it would be like to have a career in voice acting, or want to know what it takes to break in, then you need to watch Adventures in Voice Acting. It includes all the essentials you will need to get started. Nearly 100 voice actors, casting directors and producers were interviewed for this project. Watch and listen as they share with you their personal pitfalls and triumphs. 12:15  – 1:30 p.m. Jewel Box Theater

Spotlight on Matt Wagner — From Green Arrow to Grendel, from Mage to Madame Xanadu, from Batman to Sandman Mystery Theatre, as a creator, Matt Wagner’s a chameleon.  He writes across a dizzying array of genres; cover gigs have not caused him to put down the pencil; he does both creator owned and work for hire projects.  Just when you think you know him, you discover you don’t.   Join us for a Q&A with a living legend whose distinctive stories and art have left an indelible mark on comics. 2 – 3 p.m., Large Conference Room

Hail to the King! — In this tell-all talk, his former squire (and noted Comics Historian) Mark Evanier shares his unique insights about industry titan, Jack “King” Kirby. Not only did Jack Kirby create several of comics’ most iconic characters and teams, but his artistic innovations (including “Kirby dots”) still shape the way we tell stories today. 2 – 3 p.m., Jewel Box Theater

The Drunk Panel — Inspired by underground comix such as Zap, Real Pulp, “Tijuana Bibles” and Raw, Drunk takes the torch and continues the craft of comic storytelling initiated by these forebears. You don’t have to be 21 to attend as writers and artists Kim Deitch, Noelle Garcia, Jarret Keene, Sean Russell and Michael Ogilvie tell bizarre, funny, violent, loving, and sincere tales about the quintessential human achievement of being drunk.  (And also about the process of producing, publishing, and promoting a non-mainstream work of art.) 3:15  – 4:15 p.m., Large Conference Room

Comics and Books and Movies, Oh My! — Just what does it take to turn a book into a comic, or a comic into a movie? Join Michael Uslan, Cecil Castellucci, Steve Englehart and Chris Staros for an animated (or written, or drawn) conversation about the challenges and opportunities of working across different media. 3:15 – 4:15 p.m., Jewel Box Theater

I really owe anyone subscribing to this blog an apology. The days go by pretty quickly around here lately, and every time I start a new entry, I get about half way through, wander off onto tangents, and then leave it to sit in my “drafts” folder indefinitely.  It’s a far cry from the days when I maintained a LiveJournal, posting updates daily, if not two or three times a day. But I guess that’s what I’m doing on Twitter all day, and sometimes even Facebook, so if the tools have changed, the message is the same: Pj does stuff, and sometimes it’s cool.

Most of my spare time has been sucked up by producing two pages a week of The Utopian, a webcomic that, on the outset, appears to be about a bored high school kid trying to shake things up a little, but as regular readers will learn, nothing about the strip remains constant. I’m about to majorly shake up things again, so I’d recommend getting caught up if you’re at all interested, because the roller coaster is making its big climb starting this week.

It may not be obvious to anyone outside the comic industry just why writing, illustrating, coloring and lettering two comic pages takes up so much time, but it helps to know these tasks are typically broken up amongst at least five people, all specialists in their respective roles. For more insight on that, check out the blog post I wrote on the process back toward the start of The Utopian.

In much more exciting news, pre-order sales have opened on the first print issue of The Utopian, for both consumers and retailers. This means the covers for the standard (black & white) and deluxe (full color) versions of the debut issue have been released finally! The standard edition features a cover by Mark T. Zeilman, who, aside from being an acclaimed local artist and former gallerist, is also the bass player in As Yet Unbroken. The deluxe edition’s cover is by Hernan Valencia, a stellar graphic designer, former co-worker in my pre-awesome days, and coincidentally, also a bassist himself. Check out their work:

Two very distinctive, very diverse styles, right? Which both put to shame my mediocre scribblings inside. But that selling point thrown out there (ha!), why else would someone want to buy a copy of The Utopian when they can get the story for free online? Glad you asked. I give about a half-dozen real good reasons on the pre-order page, including a whole bunch of exclusive material in the print version not found elsewhere. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I like to have a real comic in my hand when I’m eating lunch, riding the bus or visiting the men’s room. That’s right, kids: The Utopian is great bathroom reading. Buy extra copies for every toilet in your house!

In the event you like to get your comics the old-fashioned way, from a comic book store (though I guess “old fashioned” would be more likely a grocery store spinner rack), you are strongly encouraged to ask you favorite shop keep to pre-order The Utopian from Haven Distributors ASAP. The item code is UTOPPOP001 and the more comic store pre-orders we get, the more likely Haven is to continue carrying Pop! Goes the Icon comics.

Speaking of which, you may be ready to accuse me of launching Pop! Goes the Icon simply as a means to foist more Pj-spawned media upon the world. Well, to you I say: OK, you’re half-right. But the half-wrong part of you may want to pay attention. PGTI is launching a new comic book anthology series as soon as humanly possible, and that means I am now accepting pitches from creators or creative teams to be featured in the proposed quarterly series. If you are one of, or happen to know, those creative-types out there, please let them know about this endeavor. I’m really trying to push new talent out there, and help out using the distribution and publishing channels I’ve already established. Plus: 100% creator owned and royalties are paid on all sales.

OK, I think that’s all the comic-related news you can handle. Stay tuned this week for more on my journalistic endeavors (yes, I still do that!), upcoming As Yet Unbroken performances (yes, that too!) as well as … OK, more comic book stuff. And thanks. For reals.